Josh Burkman made another successful step on the comeback trail and also bested a rival this past weekend at a Showdown Fights event in Utah.

Burkman, a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 2″ who earned his UFC termination after a 10-fight stint with the promotion, earned a unanimous-decision win over former training partner Jake Paul.

The event took place April 10 at the McKay Events Center in Orem, Utah.

Burkman, who left the UFC after an injury-riddled three-fight losing streak in 2008, is now 2-0 since a 13-month layoff that allowed him to heal from a neck injury. Last week he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) he worked with a holistic treatment center after he was diagnosed with a herniated disc. Intense rehabilitation that included a whole-foods diet and sessions with a sports pschologist followed.

Burkman trained with Paul five years ago in Utah and caused a stir when he moved to Portland, Ore., to train with Team Quest. Paul and his teammates openly criticized his former training partner, which prompted the grudge match.

“They felt the way to get recognized was to run their mouth about me,” Burkman said.

Burkman (11-7), though, shut down Paul (15-14) while dictating the pace of the fight. All three judges gave the three-round decision to Burkman, who snapped Paul’s career-high four-fight win streak.

Fortunately, the fighters ended the bout with a handshake and hug.

In the night’s co-headliner, the fighter Burkman first defeated as part of his comeback, fellow ex-UFC competitor Brandon Melendez (23-15), scored a second-round TKO of former WEC fighter J.T. Taylor (3-6-1). “The Ultimate Fighter 5″ quarterfinalist has now won three of his past four fights.

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